Numerous Ethiopian Diasporas and friends of Ethiopia are marching to the homeland, Ethiopia following the recently announced Great Ethiopians Homecoming Challenge. The Diasporas and friends of Ethiopia are coming to Ethiopia accepting the Homecoming Challenge to show their solidarity to the people of Ethiopia, extend their support to the country to recover its economy speedily that was battered as a result of war incited by the terrorist groups, TPLF and Shene.
The Diaspora community has been struggling day and night outside Ethiopia to help the motherland survive from the conspiracies orchestrated by its internal and external enemies. No doubt, Ethiopia’s enemies never slept for a while or left no stone unturned to disrupt nation’s peace and stability and attack it. However, the country’s patriots residing at home and abroad have successfully countered the internal terrorists’ brutal attacks and the external western countries’ and their media coordinated sabotages.
Ethiopia will always remember the golden struggle of its citizen’s at home and abroad as well as the contribution of friends of Ethiopia throughout the world. The contribution of Ethiopian Diasporas and friends of Ethiopia is not limited with holding earth shaking demonstrations in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. They paid various sacrifice to echo the #NoMore neo-colonialism movement. Every Ethiopian Diasporas from all walks of life stayed uneasy and at the same time enthusiastic to see the current peace and stability witnessed in the country. It might be difficult to expect the on-going stability without the united movements of Ethiopians and Ethiopian friends across the world.
Therefore, the Great Ethiopians Homecoming Challenge is a reward to all Ethiopian Diasporas and friends of Ethiopia to discover the independent and victorious Ethiopia after a year-long battle with nation’s internal and external enemies.
Ethiopia recognizes its daring children’s roles. History will never forget the current generation for its patriotic resistance against western neo-colonialism and some western media intentional fake news campaign.
Ethiopians and Ethiopia’s associate while staying in the country can make their times more impressive and unforgettable through visiting the newly refurbished and restored tourist destinations aside from the existing ones.
The following are some of the major destinations that you need to visit at this time inside and within a short distance from the capital, Addis Ababa.
Unity Park
Located inside the Grand Menelik II Palace, Unity Park embraces different natural and man-made tourist attractions. It also comprises a mix of landscaped open areas, renovated palace buildings and animal enclosures. The restored rooms feature items like Menelik’s sword and a life-size wax replica of former Emperor Haile Selassie.
The Unity Park of Ethiopia has natural, cultural, historical, and heritage tourism attractions all in one place. The unique natural attractions of Unity Park are zoos with 37 mammals, nine types of animals, namely Giraffes, Zebras, Kudu, Impala, Eland, Gemsbok, Nyala, Wildebeest, and White Rhino, thirteen species of aquatic animals, and indigenous various birds in the aviary. The Black Mane Lion, which is found only in Ethiopia, is also the other charm of the Park. Another natural attraction of Unity Park is the traditional Garden with indigenous plants.
Sheger Park Friendship Square
Friendship Square of the Sheger Park project includes various attractions at the heart of Addis Ababa. It is a preferred destination to stay mesmerized with the beauty of nature and the reflections of humans’ art.
Entoto Natural Park
Entoto Natural Park is a park of serenity and resounding joy. It is a unique place to discover the most breathtaking ancient mountain nature with streams flowing from clear springs and waterfalls. The Park lies on the south-eastern slopes of Entoto Mountain, between the northern limit of the city of Addis Ababa at an altitude of 2,600 m and the track along the mountain ridge at altitude over 3,100 m.
Gena (Ethiopian Christmas) in Lalibela
Gena is one of a major religious and cultural events celebrated throughout the country. However, the celebration is paramount and special in the town of Lalibela as thousands of the faithful of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and foreign tourists travel and celebrate the festival in the Rock Hewn churches of Lalibela-the “Second Jerusalem,” and the home of the most famous churches.
Not only that, Ethiopian Christmas is marked with various traditional plays and games among the youths, women and children. Rur (cultural game) is played widely during Ethiopian Christmas celebration countrywide. Various cultural cloths like; Jano, Bernos are also special adornments while peoples are celebrating Ethiopian Christmas. Further to this, different cultural songs and dancing are played by youths in different cultural backgrounds throughout the country.
Timket (Ethiopian Epiphany) at Janmeda and in Gondar
Timket is an adorable stage that showcases most of the aspects of the peoples of Ethiopia cultural songs, dancing, and dressing, among others. On Timket festival, people from all walks of life are seen wearing splendid cultural dressing and adorning themselves with spectacular traditional cosmetics. Even if Timket is religious ceremony, people of various backgrounds attend the celebration.
There are a number of sites that Timket celebration takes place cordially. Timket is solely celebrated colorfully with the gathering of more than tens of thousands peoples in Ethiopia in places like Janhoy Meda in Addis. In addition, magnificent celebrations are carried out across the nation while the grand-most ones are in Addis Ababa (Janmeda) and Gondar.
Timket is a huge street ceremonial occasion of Ethiopia registered under the prestigious UNESCO world heritages list. Timket offers tourists with opportunities to observe the traditional attires of the various peoples of the country.
If you have the opportunity to visit Janmeda and Gondar you will see incredible public gatherings and ceremonial process. The public is enthusiastic to mark the day with joy being invincible to the cold weather at night (while sleeping inside a pavilion or simply on the sky free ground counting stars) or warm weather condition during the noon.
BY TEWODROS KASSA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER 2021
